We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly

The Italian writer and philosopher Luciano De Crescenzo gave to the world a vision both tender and powerful when he declared: “We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.” In these words, he revealed the sacred truth of human existence: that none of us is complete alone, and that only through unity, compassion, and love can we rise to the heights for which we were created. The image of winged beings, broken yet capable of flight through mutual embrace, is not only poetic but eternal.

To call us angels with one wing is to admit both our nobility and our limitation. We are fashioned for greatness, meant to soar above the earth in spirit and in deed. Yet we are also imperfect, fractured, unable to reach those heights without another’s help. This truth humbles the proud, who think they need no one, and comforts the lonely, who fear they are incomplete. De Crescenzo reminds us that our incompleteness is not a curse, but a design—that we were made to find one another, and in doing so, to unlock our destiny.

Consider the example of Florence Nightingale, who walked into the horrors of war not with weapons, but with compassion. She did not heal alone; her work became light because others joined her, nurses and helpers who shared her burden. Together, by embracing one another in purpose, they lifted wounded soldiers from despair and gave birth to the modern vision of nursing. Nightingale had one wing, but when joined to others, she flew high enough to change the world.

History abounds with this lesson. The founding of nations, the triumph of revolutions, the victories of justice—none were won by isolated souls. Even Mahatma Gandhi, whose vision of nonviolence shook empires, did not walk alone. It was the embrace of millions of Indians, bound together in suffering and hope, that made the movement soar. In every age, it is not the solitary figure who changes history, but the many who clasp hands, who lock hearts, and who, by mutual trust, find their wings.

The metaphor also speaks to the most intimate of bonds—love itself. In marriage, in friendship, in family, we discover the truth of De Crescenzo’s words. A man and woman, separate, are limited; together, they complete one another. Two friends, carrying one another through hardship, find they can endure storms that would have crushed them alone. In these embraces, whether of affection or of solidarity, the miracle occurs: two one-winged beings rise as one angel, flying toward the divine.

What then must we learn from this? It is that to embrace others is not weakness, but strength. The world teaches us to be independent, self-sufficient, untouchable. Yet the deeper wisdom is that dependence is sacred—not the dependence of helplessness, but the interdependence of souls who know they were never meant to journey alone. To refuse to embrace is to crawl upon the earth; to join together is to soar.

Practically, this means we must seek to live not in isolation, but in communion. Offer your wing to others—lift the fallen, comfort the weary, guide the lost. Allow others to embrace you in turn, without pride, without shame. Do not imagine that you can conquer life’s struggles alone, nor that another’s burdens are not your concern. For every act of mutual support is a step toward the sky.

So let the words of De Crescenzo be engraved upon your heart: “We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.” Remember this when pride tempts you to walk alone, or when despair convinces you that you are broken beyond repair. Your one wing was never meant to fly alone—it was meant to meet another’s in a holy embrace. And when it does, you will rise together, higher than you ever dreamed.